All Sick
by Yakarin
Summary: After a long period of exams and All Might being absent for a special mission, Izuku is really looking forward to seeing him, yet, the one that comes in is not All Might but Aizawa announcing that, apparently, the number #1 hero has called in sick. Just a self-indulgent fanfic to get a closer look at the relationship and thoughts of this too-pure-to-be-true duo. Spoiler free.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic for this fandom, so I really hope I managed to keep them in character. Also... this was supposed to be a pure fluff one-shot because I need fluff after everything that has happened... but somehow it turned kinda brooding on the way (that's my fault), and long, really long... so I really don't know what this is any more or exactly where it's going to go, I just know I had to split it into chapters and that the first part needed to be posted in hope of it not being a total mess. The thing is, I've never done a fanfic with chapters, and my objective for the one-shots I've written is always very clear... but this one story... it seems to have taken a life of its own...**

 **Anyway, this is probably set around the time Izuku returns from training with Gran Torino. Manga readers may catch some very subtle stuff, but no worries, I especially wanted to write this one spoiler-free for people that aren't reading the manga.**

* * *

 **All Sick**

It had been a long two weeks of tests at UA, and it had practically been the same amount of time since Izuku had last talked with his favorite hero and mentor, so when the exams finally ended and they went back to their normal schedule, he couldn't be more excited when the time for their Foundational Hero Studies class arrived. Yet, when the door opened, it wasn't All Might announcing his entrance in the awkward ways he enjoyed to do so, but Aizawa-sensei with an irritated expression.

"So, it seems like All Might won't be able to join us for his class today, so you can use these three hours of class to study," said the hero.

"What? But… didn't he come back from his special mission yesterday?" asked Izuku with disappointment dyeing his voice before he could stop himself.

Izuku's slight pout made Uraraka smile. She had made a hobby of watching those two interacting. All Might always had a smile for everyone, but she was sure that his smile always looked a little brighter when Izuku was around, and naturally, everyone knew that Izuku always beamed whenever he saw his all-time hero, so she couldn't help to find it rather endearing when she saw them interacting or talking about each other.

"Well…" started Aizawa, not even surprised anymore that his student would ask about All Might and that he'd know he was supposed to be back by now "Apparently, the number one hero called in sick" continued Eraserhead letting his annoyance show in his red-rimmed eyes. "As reckless as always, I'm sure" he murmured before getting into his sleeping bag and going to sleep in a corner.

Almost unconsciously, Izuku took out his phone with a frown and sent a quick get well message to his mentor before taking out his notes to study.

The rest of the day continued uneventfully with Izuku looking now and then at his phone, message unseen. Finally, by the end of the school day, he took out his phone once again and looked at the messages history where he read his most recent text:

[Aizawa sensei told us you called in sick, I hope it's nothing serious. Please, take care of yourself, All Might.]

It was then when he noticed the date of the previous messages, and realized guiltily, that he hadn't sent a single message to All Might since his exams had started. It's not like they communicated all the time through messages, most of the times All Might would simply send him a message to meet him somewhere or call him directly if he wanted to tell him something important, but when they were apart, if Izuku was honest, he probably bothered the pro hero more than he should. He'd find any excuse to write to him, but All Might would always answer good-naturedly, sometimes in a couple of minutes, sometimes after an hour or two, sometimes even surprising Izuku with a silly joke or a kind reminder to be careful. And All Might, well, sometimes he'd write to ask how his studies where going, to share training ideas, there had even been a couple of times where he had even indulged Izuku's fanboy side and asked him if he had seen the latest fight between a notorious hero and a villain. But for the past week… well, it's not like Izuku hadn't thought about messaging him the first couple of nights, for goodness sake, the boy couldn't be more ecstatic to be All Might's pupil and to actually have his phone number, but he knew All Might had been called for a special rescue mission in Antarctica, so he felt guilty to bother the professional hero with nonsense, and then, he had been so busy studying with everyone, that he could only think about crawling to bed at the end of the day.

He looked at his last message again, still not seen.

 _It's not like All Might to take this long in answering. Is he alright?_

All Might had told him before leaving about his mission. A group of explorers had been trapped inside a cave under the snow by a band of villains that apparently shared akin quirks that involved ice. The rescue mission required a quirk that could counter ice efficiently and a lot of strength, speed, precision and experience to take the explorers out, so naturally, the best choices had been none other than the number one, and the number two heroes.

Unsurprisingly though, Izuku had managed to get the time to see him and Endeavor in the news daily, hence why he knew All Might should be back by now. He tried to remember if he had seen the pro hero show any signs of sickness or injuries, but as usual, All Might would never allow himself to show any weakness in front of the media, after all, the symbol of peace could not be daunted by evil, he should always stand firm and laugh any pain or fear off.

His number one fan sighed.

 _What if something happened to him? What if he overextended his muscle form and hurt himself? Should I go check? He could be in trouble. The teachers at UA seemed unbothered, so it's probably nothing serious, but… No, this could definitely be an emergency!_

He stopped his train of thought when he realized he had reached instinctively to the key he kept hidden in the deepest corner of his bag pack. He looked at the keychain with a fond smile, it was a ridiculous old bunny with ears that looked suspiciously similar to the signature bangs of a certain hero.

 _All Might gave you a copy of his apartment keys for only strict emergencies_. The boy reprimanded himself.

He knew the number one hero was used to having a lot of attention and appeared very comfortable in front of the cameras, but in truth, he was fiercely protective of his privacy, and apart from a few close friends, he appeared to keep to himself most of the time, probably another inevitable consequence of being the symbol of peace. It's not like he wasn't social, quite the contrary, he always knew how to lighten up a room and how to make everyone around him smile with his antics, but he had probably grown accustomed to keeping people at a safe distance to protect them, and then, to protect his secret true form.

 _What are you thinking, Izuku? He's probably just resting. Besides, it's not like he doesn't have better things to do than answering your messages all the time. It's good enough that he gave you his trust and One for All, are you seriously expecting him to answer to your every message? It's not like he's your da…_

This time he physically stopped on his track when he realized where his muttering was going, a warm rush rapidly invading his cheeks up to his ears. All Might had always been his absolute hero, but after he had met him… well, he had become even more than that, in fact, so much more than that. Izuku knew for a fact that he was kind and supportive with every student, after all, everybody loved him, but he couldn't lie either and deny that the emaciated hero had gone out of his way to support him. He tried to train with him as often as possible, he was always considerate of his feelings, and he often stayed a little longer after the training was over to simply spend time with him. For goodness sake, he even smiled at his endless chattering most of the times, unless he was trying to make a point, then he'd get exasperated at Izuku's nonsense and silence him with a not-so-strong hit in the head. Probably the pro hero would scoff and call him a fanboy if he knew how deeply Izuku regarded him, but he couldn't help to see him like a father figure after everything he had done and kept doing for him. He was no longer just the number one hero that always smiled fearlessly through the screen, not even the clumsy but caring teacher of UA, but the emaciated hero that kept on smiling despite all his burdens and his fears, and the supportive and warm mentor that had believed in him and that was always there for him.

"Midoriya? What were you muttering about?" Kaminari's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Yes, you seemed to be a little out of sorts today. Are you okay?" Iida came close to him and took a stern look at Izuku's distracted expression.

"Anyway, we're going to get some ice cream to celebrate the end of the exams, wanna come?" Suggested Kaminari with a big smile, but getting nothing but a blank stare back from Izuku.

"…Deku?" asked Uraraka getting close to him, close enough to make him snap back out and instantly blush apple red.

"Eh… s-sorry, I-I need to go somewhere!" he mumbled before waving goodbye, his legs moving before he realized he was running in the direction of All Might's apartment.

 _Meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero._

"All Might, I hope you don't get mad… but I just want to make sure you're alright" said the boy to himself as he increased his speed.

He didn't like to dwell too much on it, because his heart ached a little every time he did, but it was easy to see the emaciated hero was awful at taking care of himself. There could be no harm in just checking on him, right?

* * *

Izuku had only seen his apartment once, but he had engraved every single detail of it in his mind. At first, it had surprised him, it was in a rather old and shabby building compared to the magnificence of the Might Tower, but then, he had smiled understandingly, proudly. Many people probably assumed that All Might would live in wealth and pretentiousness, but he knew better, the hero wasn't interested in those kinds of things, very few people knew this, but his most avid fans knew that almost all the money his agency received was destined to help different organizations.

He knocked softly.

…Nothing.

He knocked again.

….Nothing.

He strained his ears. Still nothing. Should he use his key? It wasn't like he could call his name and attract unwanted attention. He swallowed guilt and excitement at the same time unsure if he should be allowed to be there, turned the key and pushed his way in.

The room was completely dark, he remembered that near the entrance was a simple coffee table and a couch, at the side was a small kitchen with a kotatsu and at the back were his room and a small bathroom. In the darkness, he could spot a shadow laying in the couch, he realized it had to be the number one hero, as he could hear someone breathing. His heart clenched when he realized that the breathing was nothing but an unsteady wheezing.

"…All Might?" he whispered.

There was no answer.

Izuku waited until his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. He could see the table was filled with used paper tissues, he should have guessed, he had seen All Might come in and out of the cave carrying drenched people with nothing but his hero suit. He had probably been soaked wet the entire time as well. He squinted his eyes, All Might's messy hair stuck out of a huge quilt. The hero's breathing was painfully straining, but it was regular enough to tell Izuku he was indeed, asleep.

He tiptoed to the couch. Although the quilt covered most of All Might's head, half of it had dropped leaving the rest of his body uncovered. The boy noticed his mentor was shaking of cold, smiled warmly, kneeled down and very slowly started lifting the quilt to cover the hero. But the moment he had touched the quilt, he felt a tug, a dash of wind, and then, when he finally managed to catch on what was happening, he saw the hero had jumped out of his skin to stand on the couch, just to slip with the quilt and crash against the back pillows making the couch fall back while a perfect fountain of blood came out of his mouth as he fell along with the couch.

If the boy hadn't been as worried and mortified as he was, he would have burst into laughter, because he could swear he had just heard All Might make a cat-like hiss before jumping out of his quilt.

For a whole minute, there was no other sound than All Might's fast wheezing behind the couch until he heard the familiar voice "…Young… Midoriya?" It seemed like it had taken a while for the hero to digest everything that had happened too, which was in itself worrying, considering how trained his senses usually were.

Izuku practically jumped from the floor, turned the lights on and ran to kneel by his mentor, who was still on the floor, tangled in his own quilt.

"YES! All Might, are you okay!? I'm so s-sorry for entering without permission, I didn't mean to startle you. No, I'm sorry for coming without asking you first, I know you gave me your key for emergencies only, and I guess I have no business coming, but I was kinda worried because you didn't answer to my message and I thought I could do achickensoupforyoubecausemymomalwaysdoesthatformeanditmakesmefeelbetterand-" he started practically screaming with a high pitched voice that soon turned into his familiar endless muttering.

"My goodness, enough already!" All Might interrupted his reverie resting a hand on his forehead and closing his eyes "Your endless nonsense's not helping my headache…" rasped the number one hero lowering his legs from the couch carefully and sitting on the floor right before a fit of coughs filled his chin and fist with blood.

Izuku's stomach churned, actually, now that he could see his hero in the light, All Might looked awful, his eyes were dull and teary, his nose slightly red, and he was looking paper white pale. Sure, he was used to his paleness and to the fact that during the evenings, after having coughed blood who knows how many times, he'd look a little paler, but this was too pale, even for him, and if he looked carefully, he even thought that his lips had a bluish hue to them.

"I'm sorry…" Izuku felt his throat tightening. He only wanted to be there for All Might as he was there for him, and he looked so ill it broke his heart, but he had only managed to disturb his sleep and to annoy him with his senseless chattering.

"Please, don't _ever_ wake me up like that again…- started All Might lifting a hand so Izuku would allow him to continue "…but I am grateful that you came to check in on me, my boy" he said with a soft chuckle rumbling in his chest and a smile climbing to his eyes.

"Wha-?" Izuku gasped and averted his gaze to the floor when he realized his face was as red as a tomato "It's the least I could do for you, All Might!" he muttered embarrassed, voice filled with earnestness.

"Well… it's more than I could ever ask for…" said the hero in a soft voice. Had Izuku just imagined that sudden, devouring feeling of deep lonesomeness in his tone of voice?

"…All Might?" The boy couldn't stop the deep emotion in his own voice as a sudden rush of unbundled sorrow invaded him, All Might's sorrow. The pro hero always brushed his problems aside and kept on smiling to life, so to suddenly realize he could harbor such loneliness, to think how lonely it should be to be at the top, carrying all the burden by himself, supporting everyone, but everyone assuming he didn't need their support, instantly crushed Izuku's heart for the hero he loved so much.

The symbol of peace was aware by now of the meaning behind each tone of voice his boy - _young Midoriya –_ he corrected in his mind – had, so when he heard such an unfathomable feeling in it, he instinctively looked directly at his eyes, they were round and filled with raw understanding, it took him aback, and it was then when he realized what he had said, or rather, the way he had said it. Of course the boy would look like that now, Midoriya was a machine of empathy, and they spent so much time together, it was a matter of time before he'd tune in to his feelings as well, especially when his mind felt so sluggish.

 _Pathetic, I am so pathetic._ He mentally kicked himself _. How can I feel so wretched because of a simple cold!? Some hero I am, getting all sentimental over the domesticity of a sick visit!_

"Don't worry, my boy." he started with a crooked smile. "Why though? Because I am all right" he said with a raspy voice while shakily standing up and lifting a fist to add power to the pose "Or rather, I am All Migh-" but before he could finish, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body went limp.

Izuku gasped, unleashed One for All full cowl in a matter of seconds, and stood in time to catch the unconscious hero on his shoulders. He was as light as a feather, but he was still a lot taller than him, so the boy carried him awkwardly.

"…A-All Might!?" asked young Izuku with a shaking voice. There was no answer, just the feeling of All Might's body shaking with chills and the sound of his withered respiratory system trying to grasp for air. " _All Might!?_ " He asked more urgently already feeling tears forming in his eyes.

He reached for one of his arms to shake him, only to realize with dismay that his mentor's skin was ice cold. There wasn't any warmth emanating from the emaciated hero's body. Didn't he have a cold? Wasn't he supposed to be burning up? This had to be bad, really bad…

"ALL MIGHT!"

* * *

 _A few authors notes:_

 _-There's a chapter in BNHA SMASH! where the kids help All Might move and they see he used to have a cozy kotatsu, BNHA SMASH is not exactly canon, they are mostly silly or weird puns, but I found that particular detail sweet, so I'll assume he likes them._

 _-There's no complex plot in here, so his skin being cold is not due to any weird quirk, it's just a possible symptom of what he's got._

 _Again... hope you liked the first chapter of whatever this is, I have most of chapter two done and have no idea how long this is going to be, probably it will depend on its own momentum and if there are readers interested in more. If you feel like it, I'd love to hear what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Phew, I ended up modifying a lot of my draft, so it took me longer than expected! Anyway, I really hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

 **To the guest review: Thank you SO much! You made me so happy because my main language is not English, so I kinda obsess for hours trying to find the exact words to portray what I want to say!**

 **For the ones that favorited or that are following this story, a very heartfelt thank you, I am so excited to know there are some readers following my fanfic! :D**

* * *

The next four hours had passed in a blur. Izuku vaguely remembered he had called Recovery Girl. That he had tried to keep All Might warm by covering him with the quilt and sitting on the floor cradling his head carefully. He still remembered the tears blurring his vision as he curled around him whispering a silent prayer for his hero to be alright. He remembered Recovery Girl's expression of concern when she had arrived. Remembered that the paramedic team had had to force him to let go, and then, walking absent-mindedly behind All Might's gurney, noises muffled by the loud scream he had emitted still ringing inside his mind. He remembered seeing all the tissues in the light, they were soaked with blood, with his mentor's blood…

He looked at his slightly trembling hands. He could still feel the coldness of All Might's skin in them. He could still feel the sharpness of his shoulder blades as he had caught him. He could still hear the wet rattling of his lungs and feel his ribcage painfully straining to take short breaths. Where his lungs so marred that a cold could cause that much damage? Could he die from it? Just thinking about it hurt more than all the broken bones he had had since he had received One for All. There was so much he wanted to learn from him, so much he hadn't said to him yet. He hadn't even bothered to send him a message to ask how he was doing for those two weeks, and now…

"Midoriya?" A female voice brought him back to reality "Midoriya Izuku?"

A very young nurse stood in front of him, her bright smile and chestnut hair reminded him of his friend Uraraka-san.

"Y-YES!" he jumped out of the chair quickly brushing the tears off of his cheeks.

"Yagi-san is awake. He asked for you"

"Yagi… san?" asked Izuku startled.

"Yagi Toshinori-san" said the nurse with a frown.

"OH! Righhht, thank you!" replied the boy with a high pitched voice. Of course, they hadn't had the time to take him to the school grounds without making a ruckus or to wherever he went regularly, so they were in a normal hospital. Of course they couldn't call him All Might.

"He will need a lot of medical care, but he's up and aware for now..." She started explaining. "You can only see him for a few minutes though, you see, he was delirious when he woke up the first time, but he seemed very concerned about you. He kept asking us about his boy Midoriya" she said with a tender smile.

To this, Izuku's eyes opened wide threatening to leak again. Only All Might could worry about someone else when he was feeling so ill.

"He also mentioned some weird stuff about smashing American states…" she muttered with a slight frown.

The boy laughed nervously. _Yup, that's All Might for you…_

"Anyway, we had to administer some blood to him, but we are afraid his lungs might…" the nurse continued explaining, but her voice started to fade in the background as Izuku actually digested what she had said.

He felt a jolt of energy fill his body. He was _awake_. He had called for him. He was _alive! All Might is okay!_ He wasn't even aware if the nurse had finished her explanation, but he couldn't wait any longer. "Thanks!" he exclaimed and sprinted to the room.

* * *

The voice of Recovery Girl made the boy stop at the door. He knew that tone too well.

"Pneumonia, are you insane!" he heard a distinctive thud.

All Might hissed in pain.

"Please, could you not hit me on the head? I still have a headache…" A stronger thud.

 _Must be the infamous cane._

"You _know_ you are risking it with a normal cold… and you fool decide to get pneumonia!?" Another thud.

"But I didn't…" Thud.

"Shut it! You should have stopped when you felt a cold coming. You know you _cannot_ strain your lungs or your heart like this… You probably even threw up blood a couple of times too, didn't you!?"

All Might's silence was answer enough.

Izuku winced in his mentor's sake. He couldn't blame Recovery Girl though, just to think how much blood the pro hero must have lost, not to mention how bad his respiratory system already was. He felt a shiver run through his spine.

He could hear Recovery Girl's cane giving up to the floor as she sighed resignedly.

"The boy was in complete shock… If you can't think of your own well-being, then, for goodness's sake, think of him. He doesn't deserve to see you, the hero he adores, throwing your life away like this!" She finished with her voice breaking and stormed out before All Might could even answer. Izuku saw her rub a few tears from her eyes as she walked away. She had been really tough, but it was obvious it had only been because she had been as scared for the pro hero as he had been.

He waited for a few minutes before hesitantly knocking at the door and poking his head in.

"Midoriya, my boy, come on in," said the pro hero in a raspy voice.

Izuku was relieved to see some color had returned to his mentor's gaunt face, but he still looked a little too pale for his liking, and he could still hear his lungs whistling in rhyme with the rising of his chest. The boy approached hesitantly, even though All Might was sitting in the bed, his long legs were slightly flexed so they'd fit, two IV lines taped in his right arm, one leading to a bag of blood, the other to a second bag filled with a transparent fluid. Still, his signature crooked smile was back, but not without a shadow of shame in his eyes.

"All M-" started Izuku before the hero gesticulated him to stop, spurting a bit of blood through his teeth.

"Toshinori."

"T-Toshinori-san…?" repeated Izuku savoring this new name. He remembered the nurse calling him that way, he guessed it was a fake name, but it had a great ring to it, it fitted All Might "A-are you going to be all right?" he finished with a thread of voice.

A sheepish smile tugged at All Might's lips as he rubbed at the back of his head. "Yes, it seems like you came to my rescue again, my boy. I was just… a little careless…that's all."

The emaciated man stretched a slightly trembling arm to pat Izuku's head. "Now, more importantly… are you okay?"

Izuku nodded trying to ignore the lump forming in his throat. He still couldn't believe that the hero would be so concerned about his wellbeing while he was the one in a hospital bed, having a blood transfusion. Could a person be any more selfless than All Might?

"Yes… I was just... I thought…" he couldn't continue. _I thought you were going to die_. Izuku's eyes betrayed a forlorn gleam before his eyes started to fill with new tears.

All Might's brow raised. _What is this? The opening of a deep-rooted old wound?_ All Might's jaw clenched as he thought about the father Izuku never mentioned, but then, he also vividly remembered his own grief when he had lost his master so many years ago.

"Young Midoriya… I'm so sorry you had to go through that, I must have given you quite a fright" said All Might softening his eyes in a regretful expression. He moved his hand to the back of Izuku's head and gently pulled him closer to give him a half hug with his free arm. "But I'm all right, see? I'm… I'm still here," his own throat threatening to choke up with emotion as he rested his chin in the boy's head.

Izuku was so surprised by this warm gesture that he tensed a little, which made the hero regret his impulse, but then, he melted into his embrace and rested his forehead in the man's collarbone sobbing.

" 'm s-sorry, All Might. I'm so-rry I'm such a crybaby…" whispered Izuku overwhelmed by All Might's gentleness.

The hero was tempted to make a funny remark to alleviate the tension and his own sudden lack of air, but something deep, something that had been buried but that had started rising little by little after that faithful day, tugged at his heart. Maybe this wasn't the right moment to joke. Not when Midoriya had that expression in his young eyes. Not when _he_ had caused that look.

 _My boy, that expression… you are not just a fanboy, aren't you? Of course you're not. Since that time you jumped to protect me… I just… I just didn't want to… I didn't want you to…_ He felt his breath catch on his throat as the tug in his chest increased. He honestly couldn't tell anymore if the crushing tightness in his chest was a result of the pneumonia or something else. Maybe it was both.

"Being a crybaby is a sign of your outstanding empathy, my boy, it just worries me that villains might take advantage of that" he whispered with a soft smile that soon enough vanished when he felt the taste of iron climbing to his mouth.

He removed his arm hastily and leaned his body to the other side of the bed when he sensed the fit of coughs coming. Izuku backed off in horror as All Might's coughs became harsher and were refusing to stop. He ran to the bathroom of the small room and brought a considerable amount of toilet paper. After a moment, the coughs stopped and the emaciated hero was left rattling, but when Izuku came close to give him the paper he lifted a pale hand with purplish fingertips to stop him from coming closer.

"Y-young Midoriya, you should… I I s-shouldn't have made you come c-close…, you could c-catch it too" he rasped closing his eyes. His breathing was harsh and Izuku could see a tendril of blood and foam threading from his chin, one hand griping at his chest as if it was becoming painful to breathe.

Izuku's eyes clouded with frustration. He was still overwhelmed with the kind words of his mentor, but he couldn't help feeling a silent pang of sadness at the back of his mind as well. "I-I'll be careful, all right?" responded the boy unrelentingly as he walked forward with resolution and gave the toilet paper to his mentor.

All Might felt his heart swell with pride for the boy's kindness and nodded gratefully. He took the paper and started to clean his mouth just in time to have another coughing fit that sounded wetter and more violent than the previous.

"All- Toshinori-san, are you okay!?" Urged Izuku resting a hand on his back.

All Might tried to answer, but it only worsened his coughing fit. He wasn't kidding to Recovery Girl when he had said he had a headache, but as time had passed, he had started feeling lightheaded again, and the more he coughed, the more he felt like he was running out of breath.

Izuku could feel the violent arching of all Might's chest as he coughed and realized that his face was acquiring a bluish hue.

 _He is choking!_

"I'll look for help!" He gave the hero a reassuring squeeze in the shoulder before running out of the room.

* * *

Izuku was sitting alone in the hospital cafeteria. It had been half an hour since he had sprinted looking for help and since the medical staff had dragged All Might to another room promising to take good care of him. Since then, he had had no further information than the things he had managed to overhear before being pulled to the cafeteria downstairs by a motherly nurse. He still remembered their words.

 _"His intake of oxygen was fairly reduced, we should have known he'd develop pulmonary edema…"_

 _"With the way his lungs are… he's lucky he hasn't had any other complication like lung abscesses or pleural effusion!"_

 _"Hopefully one lung washing will be enough, I'm not sure such a sickly guy could stand another wash"_

 _"I wonder how he ended up like that in the first place. Poor bastard…"_

He shivered and tried to put those words aside as he poked at a half-eaten sandwich unenthusiastically. Suddenly, a person coming through the door caught his attention, it was All Might's friend - _How was it? Tsukauchi-san?_ \- rushing through the door with intent, until he spotted Izuku and stopped with a relieved smile.

"Midoriya!" he called. "Recovery Girl told me about Toshinori" he caught his breath and sat down in front of him.

 _Oh, I guess Recovery Girl told him All Might's cover name when she called him,_ figured the boy absentmindedly.

"I wanted to come earlier, but I was stuck at work. I am glad you were there to help him, and that he hasn't been alone all this time." He let a sad sigh escape, "He's one of the smartest people I know, but he can be terribly reckless about this kind of things."

Izuku agreed wholeheartedly. Then, he focused on the man in front of him, he was sure that Tsukauchi-san was dying to ask him how the hero was doing, but he was probably trying to be considerate.

"A doctor mentioned something about lung washing…" said the boy in a tiny voice "I think the doctors think he will be alright as long as he doesn't develop any complications…"

Tsukauchi looked at Izuku for a minute, the boy seemed devastated and drained. Like he was trying too hard to appear collected in front of him.

"Midoriya, you look exhausted. You should go back home and rest. It's almost 8:00 PM"

"Can I stay, at least until he wakes up again?" asked the boy with quivering eyes.

"I guess we can wait and see if we'll be able to see him again soon." Said the detective distractedly while looking towards the elevator that led to All Might's room. Izuku's heart warmed at seeing his concern for the pro hero. He wondered if All Might was even aware of how much the people that knew him personally cared for him.

An apprehensive silence fell between the two. Izuku took another bite of his sandwich and a sip of milk while looking distractedly at his surroundings. The hospital's cafeteria had only a few visitors left.

"You know, I am glad he found you. By what he's told me… it seems like this would be the third time you saved him?" jested the detective with a slight smile surprising the boy.

"Whaaa-! No, that's just an exaggeration!" Exclaimed Izuku waving his hands. "All Might is always taking care of me. He's been nothing but kind… and, to be honest…, I'm not sure I deserve his unwavering trust in me…" smiled the boy sheepishly rubbing at the back of his head."

Tsukauchi smiled noticing Izuku had taken that nervous habit from his friend. _They truly are alike, aren't they? Always making less of themselves._ Tsukauchi laughed lightly.

"Well that's not surprising at all, whenever we meet, when we're not talking about villains, he's always talking about you."

Izuku's nose suddenly sprayed a large jet of milk that almost emulated All Might's hemoptysis before reddening in embarrassment.

"D-does he?"

"Yeah, I can tell he's really proud of you!" smiled Tsukauchi right before his phone rang.

The detective excused himself and took the call.

Young Izuku's heart raced a little and his smile became unrestrained for the first time that day. Was All Might really proud of him?

The detective returned to the table after finishing his call and swapping a few words with the staff. "Midoriya… I'm afraid I have been called on an emergency matter… I managed to talk with one of the doctors that tended to Toshinori and he said he's stable and breathing a lot better for now. He said they are still doing some checkups, so we won't be able to see him just yet, but after that, they are going to let him rest for the night and see how he progresses in the morning."

Relief washed on Izuku's heart as a sweet balm.

"…I really wanted to stay for him to look at a friendly face when he woke up, but we've been tracking this villain for months…" the boy could hear Tsukauchi's unhappiness as he spoke, "Do you think…?"

"YES! I can stay the night looking after him!" exclaimed Izuku a little too enthusiastic.

 _No wonder All Might has grown so fond of him. I have the feeling this boy would walk through fire if he so much as asked him to do so._

"Are you sure you want to do this? You still have classes tomorrow... You live with your mom, right? Will she be okay with that?" Tsukauchi asked a myriad of questions suddenly feeling a little guilty to leave that responsibility to a high school student. Even though it seemed like All Might wasn't in danger, in this kind of cases nothing was written in stone.

"Yes. I am sure." Said the boy without a single doubt in his eyes. "And… I think my mom will understand!" After the incident with Stain, his mom had become a little wary of his hero affairs, but it wasn't like he was risking his life, he'd only stay in the hospital for the night. Besides, his mom had a soft heart for the sick, he remembered how much she pampered him when he was sick after all. She'd definitely understand.

"All right, Recovery Girl will be back very early in the morning and I'll try to come again as soon as possible. I'm one of his emergency contacts, please tell the doctors to call me if there's any problem" Exclaimed Tsukauchi as he scribbled something on a napkin and then handed it to him. "And here's my personal number, please call me if you need anything." He gave Izuku a supportive pat on the shoulder, interchanged a few more words with the assistant at the lobby desk, and headed to the door.

After almost an hour, the chestnut-haired young nurse found him dozing, head on the table. Truth be told, it had taken a little time to convince his mom. She couldn't understand why Izuku needed to stay in the hospital to take care of a sick teacher, but then again, after Izuku had appealed to her nurturing side, she had allowed him to stay as long as he didn't leave the hospital and didn't cause any problem to the personnel.

"Midoriya-kun, Yagi-san was moved back to his room for the night. He's already sleeping, but I was informed you'd stay tonight to look after him, do you want to go back to his room?"

Izuku nodded with a big smile pulling at his lips. He didn't wait for the elevator and went running directly through the stairs until he reached the room number 310.

The room was dark, only lit by a dim light at the back of All Might's bed. The head of the bed had been slightly raised, which, if Izuku was honest, made the hero look a little uncomfortable, considering his legs were inevitably sticking out of the bed as well. An oxygen mask covered his mouth, but Izuku was relieved to hear his inhalations sounded steadier, still wheezing, but considerably deeper. He saw a small couch at the side of the room, but he decided he just wanted to sit by his side for a little while. He moved a chair carefully to the side of the bed and sat, the weight of the day already crashing on his shoulders as he fought back a tired yawn.

"All Might... If anything happened to you… I..." he felt his eyes fighting to stay open, but still, a few tears made their way down his cheeks. He let his forehead rest on the side of the bed. "Please, just get better…"

* * *

 _Author's notes:_

 _I did some research to keep things medically correct, but it wasn't incredibly thorough, so please forgive me if there's a horrible slip-up there!_

 _Anyway, I have a little draft of the beginning of the next chapter, but it still needs a lot of work, so please bear with me!_

 _Again, if you feel like it, I'd love to hear what you think, or you can PM if you want to geek about BNHA and All Might as well! :D_

 _That's it for now, thank you so much for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

**I really wanted to make justice to the first part of this chapter, so it took me quite some time, but I really hope you like it!**

* * *

All Might's eyes opened groggily, there was a very dim light coming from the blinds. _Probably around 6:00 AM?_ He considered as it dawned on him that he wasn't in his room. It took him a while to remember where he was until he heard the familiar beeping of the vital signs monitor and felt the warmth of his own breath against the oxygen mask.

 _Ah, back in a hospital room… pneumonia this time… right._ He mentally grimaced. Even though he had spent so much time in hospitals since his mortal wound, to the point that the smells and noises were as familiar as the white noise of the fridge at his apartment, he hated them, or rather, precisely because of that, he hated them even more. _No wonder my back and legs are killing me, these hospital beds are always too small… and my bones are getting too old for this._

He closed his eyes to assess his own body's state. His lungs, or rather, the remainder of them, felt like somebody had danced on them, yet, it felt like he could take deeper breathes now. _Good, for a moment there I thought I'd choke._ He removed the mask with his left hand and put it aside taking a deep breath, his chest slowly rising with a familiar wheezing noise until a sharp pain made him flinch and stop. _All right, maybe not that deep._ Rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes, he lifted his hand to look at it, it was filled with little scars and callouses here and there. _Been through worse, no reason to stop smiling, right, master?_ He smiled and carelessly dropped his arm back to his side where it met with something soft and strangely familiar. He looked down at his side. Young Midoriya's unruly hair met him, the boy's face hidden under his arms, peacefully sleeping.

 _Did he spend the whole night here?_ _Midoriya, my boy, you didn't have to…_

Despite himself, his smile grew more natural as his own big, but tired heart swelled for the boy that had become so much more than a simple student or successor. _There's really no use in denying that much, All Might._ He carefully pushed himself into a sitting position and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair gently to avoid waking him up. Izuku stirred and turned his face to the side revealing the remaining signs of tears. The emaciated hero let out a soft affectionate chuckle. "You _really are_ a crybaby!"

If All Might looked back, he had never met someone with such a pure and transparent heart. Ever since the boy had run to save young Bakugou, he had been able to see just how strong his desire to help people was, but even worse, leaving the fanboy jokes aside, he could see how genuinely the boy cared for him, and it physically hurt. _To think such earnestness was tossed aside by an absent parent, bullies at school, and denial of your dream for so long… No wonder you were such a timid kid when I met you._ He couldn't lie though, it was scary, to say the least, to feel the full power of that earnestness directed at himself. _Honestly, my boy, I don't think anyone could deserve such pure devotion. Least of all me. But still…_

Sure, at first, it had been easy to tell himself that Midoriya had other stronger motors to push forward in the extreme ways that he did, but after all this time, it would be foolish to deny the boy was emulating him. That he was fighting with _all his_ _might_ to earn his approval. A silly smirk invaded his features at his own quip.

"You already have my approval, my boy, since the day we met," he whispered with a fond lopsided smile. _And you have only managed to grow on me more and more to the point that I…_ He stopped his thoughts with a sudden lump in his throat, his eyes shadowed as he lowered his head. Was he allowed to wish for those happy days to never end? He just felt compelled, no, he _wanted_ to correspond to that earnestness of his with all his being. To be a good mentor, to, at least, be there to support him all the way until...

A small cough at the door brought him back to the present. He directed his eyes at the origin of the noise to find Recovery Girl at the doorstep. She stepped inside and closed the door with an expression that was trying too hard to stay tough.

"Recovery girl… good morning," he greeted remorsefully, still remembering how she had stormed out the day before.

Her eyes softened at the hero and then switched focus to young Izuku. All Might followed her gaze until he realized his hand was still resting naturally on the boy's head. He felt his cheeks catch some warmth and self-consciously removed his hand back to his lap.

"I'm sorry, I might have overstepped a little yesterday..." She started with a kind tone, the years of experience in building patience and understanding for her patients showing.

"No, I earned that myself," he shook his head. "You are right, a good mentor shouldn't make his apprentice worry like this," he said looking back at Izuku.

Recovery Girl heaved a sigh "You _are_ a good mentor. Foolish, yes, but anyone could see how much you care for the boy, All Might."

"Well, of course I care… he's my… successor," he muttered turning his gaze to the window to avoid looking at her expected disapproving glare.

 _Because he's your successor, sure._ "You have always been such a stubborn man…" sighed the tiny woman suddenly feeling the urge to use her cane for something else than walking.

"Am I getting another hit on the head?" smiled the hero without a glint of mirth. A vacant smile that sent a chill of worry to Recovery Girl's spine.

The veteran healer frowned deeply "I know you're not that dense. You _do_ understand, don't you? How much you mean to him …and your own feelings."

All Might felt the strain in his lungs grow. He held the oxygen mask to his face and pressed his eyes shut while considering his answer carefully. For a good number of minutes, the only noise that could be heard in the room was the vitals monitor and the oxygen being pumped to the mask the hero was holding. Recovery Girl noticed his other hand closing in a fist, so tense that his knuckles turned white. Then, he finally lowered the mask and answered in a hoarse voice, "Yes…, of course I do…" He let a shaking sigh leave his chest.

The healer faltered at his strong reaction. Originally, she had only intended to tease him as a little payback for the fright she had had at seeing him unconscious in the floor, but this reaction was something else. She shortened their distance and stood at the opposite side of the bed from Midoriya's. "Toshinori, dear, do you mind looking at me?"

The pro hero hesitated before looking back at her, the blue in his eyes reflecting deep wavering pools, like if there was an internal fight going on inside of him.

"Are you all right?" She asked with a gentle voice, concern showing in her eyes. Dread invaded his gut, he hated to see people worried because of him. "You were all smiles a few minutes ago while you were petting your protégé's head, and now, you look like the end of the world is coming. What's wrong, dear?"

 _Ah. What's wrong with me? First with Midoriya, and now with Recovery Girl?_ "Sorry, I don't know what came over me. Must be the lack of oxygen," he tried to brush the nagging feeling in his chest forcing the best smile he could, a smile that hardly managed to reach his eyes.

Recovery Girl crossed her arms and locked him in a disapproving glare.

The number one hero pinched the bridge of his nose. _No way of laughing this one off, huh?_ "I understand. It's just… with this path I chose to walk…" he instinctively clenched his old injury, "You know the consequences… I'll probably won't be able to…" his voice wavered as his throat closed tightly. _Why?_ _This consequences, I've always been able to take them at face value rather easily…_

Recovery Girl sensed where he was going and felt a pang of sadness for the emaciated man. _Do you really have to carry such a big burden on your own, Toshinori?_

The eyes of the eighth wielder of One for All suddenly reflected a crystal clear tone of blue, so clear and hesitant, that Recovery Girl felt like she was looking straight at his soul, so exhausted, but always fierce and noble, and yet, right now, so troubled and lost. "Still, in spite of that, I just want to protect him at all costs. I want to see him grow, and look proudly at the great things I know he will accomplish," he said with a cracking voice. A powerful surge of emotion gritted his heart making him uncomfortably aware of the change in his mindset. His guts twisted in a new sort of fear. _I want to keep walking by his side._

With a deeply furrowed brow and a thin line in her lips, the veteran heroine gestured the bravest of heroes to lower his head to her reach. All Might obeyed absentmindedly still lost in his thoughts, and as soon as she could reach him, she cupped his gaunt face in her small, warm hands tenderly, his eyes widening in surprise as she stroked the creased skin under his eyes. "Look at you, child," she said with the gentlest of voices showing him the traces of tears in her thumbs.

 _Ah_. _Oh my…_ He hadn't realized there were tears running down his face. _It seems like I wasn't entirely aware of the extent of my feelings at all... Holly shit…, this… could this possibly be how a parent feels?_

"Seems like the boy is rubbing off on you, dear," Recovery Girl said giving his left cheek a couple of taps with a teasing smile as she noticed with relief the look of realization in the pro hero's face, the fierceness in his eyes coming back with a glint of something long forgotten. _Good._

All Might's cheeks acquired a red hue as he felt his lips curve into a sheepish smile. He gave a grateful squeeze to one of Recovery Girl's hands and lifted his head holding back his usual bark of a laughter to avoid waking his boy up. _Yes,_ my _boy_. "Apparently, you're right…, and that's fine with me," his smile widened into a high-spirited beam, "but don't tell the boy I said that."

"Now, that smile is much better, you maudlin symbol of peace!" _Now, live, Toshinori, live and take good care of yourself for his sake._

"Thank you, I-" started All Might right before the door opened wide causing him to jump and spurt a bolt of blood that escaped through the hollows in his firmly closed teeth.

"What on _Earth_ is Midoriya doing here?" Aizawa's apathetic voice, highlighted with a sharp tone, made the number one hero wince.

For a moment everyone remained silent, the eraser hero looking expectantly at All Might.

"Uh… well… you see…" Started the symbol of peace suddenly reminding Recovery Girl of a rabbit being cornered by a fox.

"Would you move already and let us in?" All Might recognized Midnight's voice at the back of Aizawa before she pushed him out of the way and joined them along with Present Mic.

 _That was close! G_ rinned the blue-eyed hero with relief and pleasantly surprised to see his peers from UA.

"You know, All Might?" Started his supposed distractor with a mischievous smirk. "If I hadn't seen you countless of times blushing and stuttering like a four-year-old when any of your female fans, or to that effect, anyone, says anything remotely flattering to you, I'd really start wondering if Midoriya isn't secretly your son!" she laughed.

"And if you didn't lack a lot in the personal life department," added Present Mic matter-of-factly.

"Or if you weren't a complete disaster when it comes to dealing with every day's life," deadpanned Aizawa.

To all this, the number one hero's face flushed furiously and his lungs decided to collapse into a fit of coughs that ended up staining most of his sheets. _Thank goodness Midoriya is still asleep!_ He didn't know what was more embarrassing, to be so obvious about his fondness for the boy, the implications of him having a secret child, or to know that, apparently, all the teachers at UA had considered that possibility.

His face got even redder, if possible, and his eyes became comically big and helpless. He tugged at his bangs pulling his head low, wanting to hide under his hospital blanket and disappear. Everyone snickered trying to hold their laughter. All Might could be the No. 1 hero, but that had never stopped him from being a complete manchild when it came to dealing with anything that wasn't symbol-of-peace related, and if they were honest, they all found that quality of his endearing – Aizawa didn't - and worth teasing as often as possible – Aizawa did.

After that, the heavy atmosphere that had just transpired a few minutes ago seemed to have vanished completely, Recovery Girl noted while observing All Might being his normal cheery self while talking with Present Mic and Midnight. _Toshinori, you are so strong, that sometimes I forget all the burdens you chose to carry by yourself…_

"Aizawa…?" called All Might as Midnight and Present Mic got engrossed in talking about some fashion related thing that the hero couldn't quite follow. He fidgeted with the blanket, "I appreciate you coming, but… it's not like you to visit. Is everything all right at the school?" he said smiling bashfully. He knew the eraser hero was farther from being a fan of his, after all.

The man in question seemed unaffected by All Might's words, but his eyes actually revealed the slightest bit of poignant disbelief. "Everything's alright, director Nedzu sent me to check on you. These two tagged along when I told them where I was going," he said neutrally.

Present Mic interrupted, "Director Nedzu? Tsk, you should have seen Shouta yesterday, he had this serious eye twitch going on. I'm sure it was his idea to co-" but abruptly closed his mouth when Aizawa shot him a killing glare.

"Whoever called Recovery Girl was so shocked, that she thought you were in your deathbed," he continued still looking at Present Mic menacingly.

All Might's faint color drained from his face as he clenched the rough sheets in his hands slightly looking at Izuku, a movement Eraserhead didn't miss.

"I am sorry to have made everybody worry… I'm all right. I'll just need a few days to recover." The pro hero tried to sound unaffected and failing spectacularly. Especially because his statement was followed by an outburst of coughs, and him pressing the oxygen mask back to a furrowed face that was slowly gathering sweat.

"Rather, a few weeks," muttered class 1-A's homeroom teacher irritated. "You are only human, All Might, just like everybody else."

Was he trying to be supportive or to admonish him? If he was honest, the eighth wielder of One for All had no idea. He actually liked Aizawa, he was surprisingly kind and a softie with the kids at UA, but he never had the slightest idea of what was going on in his mind whenever they interacted. _Trust me, I am painfully aware of that._

"Yes, you're right…" he agreed with an uncharacteristic somber air.

"Such a low-spirited tone, he really must be feeling bad," said Aizawa looking back to Recovery Girl.

"Told you so."

Despite all the noises, it was only until that moment that Izuku woke up. He lifted his arms and yawned right before he noticed Aizawa looking right at him.

"A-Aizawa-sensei… Present Mic, Midnight!" he stuttered. Only Recovery Girl and Director Nedzu knew about his connection with All Might at UA, how would he explain his presence there?

"Midoriya… you finally decided to join us," said his homeroom teacher with an edgy tone. "I'm sure there must be a perfectly good reason to you being here" he continued slowly, not looking at him at all, but at his master.

All Might knew exactly what he was thinking, and he was right. It was too dangerous to let the kids in into his secret. Just being in UA already made things more dangerous for everyone, frankly speaking. And he did try to keep them all at a safe distance, with the exception of Izuku of course. _I'm sorry, Aizawa, I cannot tell you why Midoriya is different, but I can promise I'll take care of him with my life._

Recovery girl cleared her throat loudly and gave the erasing hero a significant look.

"…But I feel generous today, I'll let the inquiry for another time." He looked at All Might. _Still pale as hell, wheezing for air, a slight tremor in his hands, idiotic forced smile to hide exhaustion. Damn fool, always making everybody worry with his thoughtless self-sacrifice._ "Shall I assume you'll be staying here for the day?" He asked interchanging a quick look with Recovery Girl.

Izuku opened his eyes wide and looked back at his mentor with a timid glow in his eyes. "…If it's okay with All Might!…" he squealed beaming with the simple idea of staying by his mentor's side while he needed support.

The pro hero's eyes shone with a particular bright glow before a realization hit him, substituting said glow with a conscientious-teacher-look "Young Midoriya, that's really not necessary. You shouldn't be missing classes, besides, I'm not entirely hopeless, I can still move to get some stuff" he said as he stretched to grab a bottle of pills that the medical staff had left at the bedtable, only managing to stumble and make the bottle fall as a spell of dizziness invaded him.

"I think we got our answer." Grumbled Aizawa.

All Might didn't want to hinder Izuku's learning, but he suddenly felt too tired to argue. Besides, having him for company didn't sound bad at all. "All right, but promise me you'll catch up on your classes later."

"Yes!" Izuku exclaimed unable to hide his excitement, "I promise I'll study while you sleep. Besides…, we have fewer classes during Friday, so I won't be missing too much!"

All Might nodded with a warm glint on his eyes, it hadn't escaped him that Izuku had avoided saying they would be missing another class with him. "Would that be okay, Recovery Girl?"

She nodded at the hero and then turned to the boy "As long as you keep a safe distance from this human blood sprinkler and wash your hands often, you should be okay. I'll let the hospital staff know," she said unable to hide a slight smile as a pair of matching grins appeared in mentor and student.

"With that settled, we should be returning to UA," said Aizawa after realizing that All Might looked noticeably more tired than when they had arrived.

Present Mic took out an MP3 player and a pair of earphones and handed them to All Might, "In case you get bored!"

"And here are some chocolates for you," said Midnight pulling a little box from a paper bag "I kinda ate half of them… sorry" she smiled bashfully.

All Might laughed good-naturedly and took the box. "Thank you, Present Mic, Midnight, you're both so kind!"

Aizawa stared at the number one hero silently, "What, do you expected a gift from me too?" he said burning a hole through All Might.

"Wha? No! I didn't even expect you guys to come here, I know how busy you are!"

Aizawa sighed annoyed. "You better take it easy and rest, problem teacher…" he mumbled.

"Yes, sir!" said All Might saluting with a cheeky grin.

Izuku's homeroom teacher rolled his eyes and looked at the boy, "Make sure he keeps out of trouble."

"I will!" exclaimed Izuki, half surprised, half amused.

Recovery Girl took the chance to get closer and speak to the emaciated hero while the rest of the party was busy "Well, I'll come to see you later, dear," she said resting her small hand in his and added in a whisper, "Don't fret too much over things, you deserve happiness too, you know?"

"I'll try," he gave her a thankful smile.

* * *

As they walked back to the academy, Aizawa heaved a groan as he considered what could be the best thing to say. "Guess I'll just say Midoriya had a family emergency."

"You could say that again, they might not be related by blood, but everyone can see All Might's favoritism towards Midoriya" chuckled Midnight good-naturedly. "He totally dads him."

* * *

 _A few author's notes:_

 _Whew, so sorry for all the angsty content here... I think writing this has been kinda therapeutic for me, but I promise there will be happy light-hearted content in the next chapter!_

 _As you can see, I love the canon All Might that is a total dork with no time to think about romance, sorry for the ones that follow a ship... but hey, what's better than DadMight!? Besides, I must say I adore the fact that he is shown to be a gentleman rather than a complete doofus about things like Goku is. I mean, he's innocent, not an ingenue, and that makes him the best ever._

 _The human sprinkler remark... that was a genius post from Tumblr, I can't remember who said it, but it cracked me up, pure gold._

 _Sorry about the silly ending for this chapter, I get the impression that I always get too tired by the end and end up making a rushed conclusion :S_

 _I think that's all for now. Thank you SO much to the ones that are following my fanfic and for the ones that just joined in the ride, please leave me a note if you feel like it, I love reading your thoughts!_


	4. Chapter 4

**I am still alive! :O Guys, I'm SO sorry I took so long to post this chapter, I was not completely happy with it and then the holidays came and it was just too much chaos to do anything. I actually wanted to post two chapters in compensation, but I still have a long while to finish chapter 5 so... I just really, really hope you like it...**

 **For all the guests that have left reviews without a name, thank you so so so much for your patience and for your kind words, you really make my day.**

 **adragon:** Why are you a guest? I want to PM you and thank you for your lovely notes! Thank you so much for sticking to my FF, I know what you mean, there should be more "Dad Might is sick" fics out there! Anyway, I hope your wait was worth it, I promise I'll try to take less time to post the next chapter, and that it will be better than this one!

 **18 of September guest:** You didn't leave a name, but your note was so awesome my heart skipped a beat, thank you so much, you are the sweetest and I really hope you get to read this and know who you are. I'm so sorry I made you wait for so long, I just hope your wait was worth it!

 **Sandy:** Thank you so much for sticking to my story and for your patience! I really hope you're still around and that you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

After mentor and apprentice were left alone, All Might closed his eyes and exhaled unevenly before dropping back on the bed pressing the oxygen mask tightly to his face. He could feel the drops of sweat rolling down his temples. Maybe he had been a little too optimistic on his recently improved oxygen intake. _Well, the doctor did mention you'd probably need extra oxygen for the first couple of days. And let's be honest, this setback was only to be expected. What were you even hoping for after catching pneumonia? Recovery Girl was right, you are an idiot for letting it get this bad, All Might,_ he thought as he flexed his right hand, _Hmm… when did my fingers start feeling tingly? I can't quite remember..._

"All Might, are you okay?" The familiar apprehensive voice of his student startled him out of his thoughts.

 _Oh, young Midoriya, right, he-,_ the thought was just taking shape as he heard the boy shuffling on his seat, "Do you want me to call a nurse?"

He tried to force himself to open his eyes and answer back, but all of a sudden he felt too tired to talk and his eyelids felt just awfully heavy, so he waved his free hand dismissively instead.

"Are you sure?"

 _It's okay, I just need a minute,_ though All Might as he signaled a thumbs up back at his student.

"Okay… take as much time as you need," came the boy's answer after a pause.

Had young Midoriya just read his mind? Or had he said that out loud? _No, that's not such a weird reply to a thumbs up… is it?_ Contemplated the man feeling a dense fog slowly crawling inside his mind, but too tired to keep his consciousness from slowly fading into oblivion.

...

Only a few minutes after All Might had closed his eyes, Izuku realized that his brow was relaxing and that the hand keeping the oxygen mask in place was losing strength. _Seems like he's about to fall asleep, I should help him fasten the mask in place._ He stood up and reached to the man's breathing aid, but before touching it, he remembered the last time he had tried to assist the pro hero in his sleep.

"All Might?" he whispered.

"…Hmm?" came a faint response.

"I'm going to adjust the mask so you can be more comfortable, okay?"

"…mkay," replied the hero letting his arm instantly drop back to the side with noticeable relief.

The budding hero couldn't help but smile as he proceeded to adjust the oxygen mask's strap carefully back on his mentor's head and to cover him up with the stained sheets up to the chin. _When did he cough up this blood? Maybe he got startled when Aizawa-sensei and the other teachers arrived… or maybe one of them made him feel uncomfortable about something?_ He pondered recalling the most common blood-coughing triggers as he turned back to his seat by the bedside, just to feel cold fingers weakly grasp his wrist. He looked back at their owner.

All Might's eyes were still shut, but he could see the corner of his azureous lips curling upwards a little bit as his grip tightened slightly before letting go, "Thank you, m'boy," the hero rasped making Izuku's face split into a big smile.

"No problem, All Might," he whispered in return.

* * *

The budding hero had lost track of the time since his mentor had fallen into a deep slumber, and in any other situation he would have felt disappointed to spend all this time with his hero sleeping, but right now, he actually felt a little relieved, considering how drained All Might have looked right before dropping back to bed. And just as he absentmindedly turned to another page in the notebook that he wasn't really paying attention to, the young nurse he had met the night before came inside.

"Good morning, Midoriya-kun! How is Yagi-san doing today?" she asked with a bright smile.

Izuku jumped from his seat to his mentor's side, "Um… he seemed okay when I woke up, but…" he tried to remember all the details that could be useful, "I think he got really tired from talking… and he got dizzy when he tried to reach for something on the table. Oh! And his fingers… they are still very cold," he added feeling goosebumps cross his spine as he recalled once again the coldness of his mentor's skin against his hands while he waited for the ambulance to come.

There was a glimpse of concern in the eyes of the young woman, frown only deepening as she gently grabbed All Might's left hand to look closely at his fingernails. The bluish hue was back. Then, she turned her gaze at the vitals monitor.

"83%... that's a little below the expected…" she muttered in a carefully neutral voice, Izuku noticed with a sinking feeling, "And I don't like how cold he is. Did you say he was talking earlier?" she asked while her eyes lingered for a little longer on the stats monitor.

"Yes, he had some visitors and they talked for a while, but I don't know for how long… I was asleep when they arrived," nodded the boy a little ashamed.

"It's okay, don't worry," the woman said encouragingly. "Dr. Takahashi turned off the alarm for oxygen saturation considering Yagi-san's condition, so it's-" she stopped when the boy's eyes opened like saucer pans and his face got paper white pale. "You see, his lungs normal oxygen intake is not of 95 to 100 percent as the average healthy person, his normal intake must be around 88 to 92 percent, so the alarm would set off constantly if it were on."

At this explanation Izuku's face only became paler. He knew All Might had lost part of his lungs and his emaciated appearance was enough to remind him of that constantly, but the pro hero had mastered a way to make even his blood-coughing look like it wasn't such a big deal, so it was easy to forget he probably had to deal with a lot of additional health problems on a daily basis.

"I-Isn't that-?"

The nurse interrupted him knowing it was better to avoid dwelling too much on things that couldn't be changed, "In any case, it's good that we noticed now, it could be dangerous if his oxygen intake doesn't go up soon…" she said as she opened the oxygen valve a little more before looking back at the big-eyed teenager, "…b-but don't worry just yet… I mean, he has had less than a day of treatment, and this could well be a consequence of the wash and Yagi-san straining himself slightly too much, so let's give a little more time for the oxygen mask to work, all right?" The frown on her face only decreased a little, but she did her best to sound reassuring for the boy that suddenly looked a lot like a lost puppy.

"O-okay… yeah… he did look exhausted after they left," Izuki granted as he engraved all this new information at the back of his mind. "Thank you…um…"

"Oh, right!" the young woman almost yelled before covering her mouth and looking at the sleeping man. He didn't move, so she just shifted away from the bed, made a little bow and continued in a lower voice, "Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Nurse Inoue Iku."

Her big eyes and lively demeanor reminded Izuku once again of his friend. "Thank you, Inoue-san," he said timidly as he carefully took his mentor's big hand between his hands, unconsciously emulating the times his mom would rub his tiny hands between hers to make them warm.

"No need to thank me, you gave me a perfect report, Midoriya-kun. Actually, I think you are the most diligent caregiver I've ever seen!" she said fixing her eyes on Izuku's attempt to keep All Might's hand warm.

"Oh, w-well, I just want to help All- _Toshinori-san_ as much as I can!" mumbled Izuku feeling a little embarrassed after noticing his unconscious action, but more concerned about his slip. _That was close! I should have learned by now to be more careful about revealing All Might's identity!_

"That's very sweet of you," Inoue said with a tender smile. And then, turning her gaze back to the monitor with a closed expression she added, "I'll give him a thorough examination when he wakes up again, but I'm going to do a quick check-up right now, okay?

"Yes, thank you," Izuku nodded still engrossed in trying to keep All Might a little warmer.

Silence reigned as Inoue took notes on Yagi-san's stats. She hadn't lied to Midoriya when she said his low oxygen intake could be expected, but it had easily been 20 minutes since she had arrived and the stats in the monitor had kept pretty much the same. _Low oxygen, fast heartbeat…, not mentioning he keeps having a lower-than-normal body temperature_. _Why is he this cold? Shouldn't he-?_ Then it hit her. It hadn't been long since she had become a nurse, so she hadn't seen many peculiar cases such as this, but right there, she remembered one similar case of pneumonia.

 _But… he's not an elderly man yet, is his immune system that weak then? Or are these elderly-like symptoms a result of his emaciated body?_

Then, something worse crossed her mind. _Oh no…, has he moved at all since I arrived? I've heard him coughing now and then but..._ She made a quick mental rewind, he hadn't reacted at all when she had accidentally shouted, and he hadn't shown a single sign of alertness despite the teenager rubbing his hand all that time _. Blast! …Could he be lethargic?_

She cleared her throat and trying to sound casual said, "Yagi-san is quite a heavy sleeper, isn't he?"

"No, not really if yesterday was a good parameter," snickered the boy remembering All Might's cat-like hiss. "I barely touched his quilt when he was sleeping and that was enough to make him jump out of the couch with a start."

"Crap…" she muttered unable to keep hiding her concern.

Izuku stopped rubbing All Might's hand sensing her apprehension and searched his face for reassurance, there wasn't any, his hero just coughed leaving a small stain of blood in the mask.

"Yagi-san?" Inoue shook All Might's shoulder.

Nothing.

"Yagi-san, can you hear me?" she shook him more energetically without getting more response than a frown and his hands starting to flex restlessly.

"Toshinori-san?" asked Izuku staring at his flexing hands with a knot forming in his throat.

Nothing.

"For how long has he been asleep?" she asked with a grave expression.

"Um… for around two hours," answered the boy looking at the wall's clock.

"Did you notice him acting any differently or seeming confused at some point before falling asleep?"

"No…" Izuku tried to remember everything, "No, I don't think so…" he felt his heart hammering in his chest. "What's wrong? Is he-"

"Good, that's good," the attendee interrupted. _At least it seems like he's not disoriented or delirious yet._ "Dr. Takahashi had to attend an emergency, but I'll administer some medicines, get some heating pads, and come back with the doctor very soon, all right?

Izuku nodded suddenly feeling unable to speak.

Inoue quietly prepared and injected two syringes of medicine in one of the IV lines, and before leaving, she searched for the eyes of the teenager that, even though she knew nothing about his relationship to the unconscious man, obviously cherished him in a deeper way than she had witnessed in quite a while, if ever.

"Don't worry, Midoriya-kun, it's not that common, but some patients get lethargic because of the pneumonia, but with proper care they can get better after a couple of days… He's going to be okay, you'll see."

"O-Okay… thank you," tried to smile back the boy thinking about how All Might would smile no matter how hard things would get.

 _Is he, though?_ Inoue couldn't help but wonder with a slight pang of guilt as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

 _Hmm how, how long has it been since I closed my eyes? Where… where was I? …And why is it so cold? …Was I… talking… to someone?_

All Might kept alternating between unconsciousness and a very slurry state of awareness, but as much as he wanted to move, his body felt as heavy as a rock.

 _"_ _Yagi-san?"_ he could hear a distant female voice.

 _…_ _Did somebody just call my name?_ He tried to open his eyes, but they felt as if they were taped together.

 _"_ _Can… you…_

 _hear… me?"_ the voice felt unnaturally slurry and fragmented, and it seemed to echo over and over before fading away.

 _Who's calling me? …I, I can't remember where…_

He noticed a strange feeling in his limbs.

 _Why are my hands so numb?_

He could hear distant voices, but he couldn't quite understand what they were saying, it was like being underwater.

 _Ugh, it feels like ants crawling in my arms…_

Suddenly, or maybe several minutes later, it was strangely difficult to tell the passing of time, he heard a glass breaking and a woman screaming at the distance.

 _S-Someone needs help!_

He felt a familiar surge of adrenaline pulling him out of the underwater muted sensations as his body reached for the remnants of One for All before he could mentally, heck, even visually, register what was actually happening.

...

It had been around 20 minutes since nurse Inoue had left, but as the sound of glass breaking and a woman screaming in surprise was heard through the window a few blocks away, Izuku almost fell from the surprise of witnessing a half unconscious All Might sitting up and transforming into his muscle form.

"Som'ne needshelp! Where isshe!?" the pro hero slurred feeling his head spinning as he wobbly tried to register what was happening.

"OH MY GOD, A-ALL MIGHT!" Izuku squawked before covering his mouth and looking at the door nervously, "Y-you can't transform in here! Besides, you shouldn't transform, you're very sick!" he stammered.

"What're you sayin', m'boy?" the hero jabbered looking around with disoriented eyes, attempting to jump out of bed while Izuku desperately tried to stop him. As he kept trying to assess the situation with little results, he felt a lump of blood climbing up his throat, everything seemed fuzzy and confusing and his head wouldn't stop spinning. Why was he in small-sized hospital clothes? Had he used all his time? It felt like a true ordeal to keep his hero form. After struggling for a little longer, he managed to stand up with some blood spilling from his lips.

"All Might, please stop," whispered the boy nervously, he could tell the pro hero's mind wasn't entirely there.

"I need to go," the man simply said as he gently pushed Izuku out of the way to take a few wobbly steps, but something else stopped him mid-way. There was something painful pulling at his right arm, but as soon as he tried to move his head to see what was pulling at it, the entire room violently spun in front of his blurry sight making him lose his balance and fall, IV lines pulling hard at his arm until they broke free throwing the stand to the floor, only adding to the mess of medicine and blood everywhere. And if that wasn't bad enough, it only got worse when his body inevitably switched back to his true form making him cough a large load of blood in the floor.

"Midoriya-kun, are you okay!? I heard a ruckus coming fro-" Inoue stumbled into the room and stopped mid-sentence covering her mouth with one hand shocked at the scene in front of her.

Izuku was kneeling on what could only be described as a pool of blood, trying to stop the supposedly lethargic man from moving, as aforementioned man tried to stubbornly get up with eyes slightly unfocused and chin dripping blood.

"There's no time, young Midoriya, I'ave t'go!" the blond man urged as he managed to get up again.

"A- T-Toshinori-san, you are in the hospital, remember? Please, stop moving!" pleaded the boy trying to stop him from straining himself even further.

"C-Can't…. that woman… danger…" said All Might as a mixture of blood, phlegm and vile pushed up his throat again, causing a fit of coughs that worsened his lightheadedness and made him stagger.

Careful with your-!" howled Izuku unable to catch him before crashing right where his wound was with full force against the bed's side rail.

The pro hero suppressed a shriek as a thunder of pain traveled from his injury to his entire body making him see stars. He dropped back on the floor coughing, shut his eyes and curled in himself pressing at his injury protectively. "Holy crap!" he hissed after raggedly sucking air back into his lungs.

"Toshinori-san, are you okay!?" exclaimed Izuku kneeling back to his side.

"Ngg… w-where are we?" his lungs rattled, "I… I think I might be a bit confused." At least the acute pain had apparently helped to clear the fog from his mind.

Izuku's heart was hammering in his chest. He had never seen anyone this disoriented, and the fact that the one in front of him was his hero and mentor, made it a thousand times worse. Yes, he had seen All Might at his limit, but he had never looked as fragile and human as he looked right now, pale as a ghost, shaking, just trying to grip reality.

"You are in a hospital. Everyone is all right, it was just a distant scream. Toshinori-san, everything's okay, please try not to move," he said with as much reassurance as he could muster.

The hero slowly forced his eyes open. It still took him a while to completely snap out of his confusion and to stop feeling like the room was spinning, but after a few minutes, he started to remember the events from the morning.

"…Ah, yes…, yes, I remember now," he sighed while still pressing his throbbing wound. "Don't worry, my boy, I don't think I'll be able to move for a little while…" he smiled faintly still feeling his heart banging on his ears.

The young nurse finally reacted and hurriedly kneeled on the floor as well. Her eyes were wide and her voice trembling, but she did her best to appear composed, "Yagi-san, are you okay? I-I need to check your side, does it feel like you broke something?" Perhaps the fall hadn't been that bad, but for a patient as undernourished as him… and she had heard from another nurse that he had a horrible-looking wound on his left side too.

"My side? Oh, it's okay, young nurse… Inoue, was it?" said the man trying to sound as convincing as possible; he could tell from her voice that she was already shocked by the sight in front of her.

 _I don't remember introducing myself to him, does he remember my name from that one time the doctor called me?_ "Yes… but I should better check if you are okay… just in case," she said gently starting to lift his hospital shirt just to be stopped by a gentle cold hand on top of hers.

"…young Inoue-san, I'm alright, really," said All Might with a kind voice. He knew how impressive his wound could be to look at for the first time, especially for someone with medical training, and he could tell this small hospital didn't attend nasty cases like his, not mentioning she couldn't have more than a couple of years at most as a nurse. _She's too young… early twenties probably?_

"But…"

"It's okay now, really," said the man forcing a smile through the obvious pain as he slowly sat on the floor.

"…Okay," Inoue conceded with a sigh trying to keep her hands from trembling in shock and frustration. "Do you think you can stand, Yagi-san?"

"My apologies, I… just give me a few more minutes to get the blood back into my head" he said rubbing the blood off his chin with a hand and giving her a toothy smile. "I'm sorry, I have a very light sleep," he tried to lighten the mood right before a siren resonated at the distance making his eyes instantly focus on the window and muscles tense ready for action, which made something click on Inoue's mind.

"Yagi-san?"

All Might snapped out of his hero mindset thanks to a subtle touch from Izuku. "Huh?"

"Did you actually jumped out of bed because you thought somebody was in danger!?" she couldn't help to ask with a smile forming in her lips.

"Eh? N-No, no… it was just… I was just…" The man and the boy interchanged meaningful looks.

"You did, didn't you!?" She smiled knowingly, "Just now, your whole demeanor changed with that faraway siren! That's amazing, Yagi-san, you must be such a brave and selfless man to react like that even though you are this sick!" she said feeling moved by such a natural display of heroism.

"No, I'm just…" muttered the seasoned hero, red covering his entire face despite his sickly color.

"He _is_ the kindest," nodded Izuku fervently, always happy to see other people admiring his absolute hero.

"Anyway, I think it's better to get you back in bed, Yagi-san. We can help you up," Inoue said nodding at Izuku after holding back a chuckle. _There's something weird and mysterious about these two… but whatever their story is, this boy seriously admires him_ … _and I'm kind of beginning to understand why_.

"Of course, let us help you up," exclaimed Izuku before fixing his eyes on his mentor's right arm, "Is your arm okay though?"

That made All Might finally turn his attention to his general state, torn skin where the IV lines used to be, clothes covered in blood.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, it seems like I made a mess of myself… and the room," he added looking at the IV lines still dropping solution and the remnants of his blood spread on the floor.

"Oh no, please don't worry, it was all an accident!" said nurse Inoue with a reassuring grin patting his arm, so thin that she made an effort not to flinch, "Besides, it was because you thought someone needed help, didn't you?" she added with a bright smile, "Isn't that what people says of the best of heroes? That their bodies move before they can think? I bet you would have made a great hero, Yagi-san!"

This time both, patient and caregiver, opened their eyes wide and guilty.

 _Wait? Could it be possible that…?_

 _"_ … Are you by any chance a former-"

All Might hastily clenched his teeth just in time to stop an explosion of blood, which resulted in several crimson streams trickling from his mouth.

"Oh God, you're bleeding again!" screamed the girl quickly taking out a handkerchief she carried to clean the man's chin.

"It's okay, I'm used to it," said the emaciated man immediately lifting his arm to rub the blood off of him.

As he said that, she couldn't help a bunch of thoughts from rushing through her mind. If he was a former hero, because it was unthinkable that anyone in his condition would still do hero duty, what type of horrors could he have gone through to end up like this? And even if he wasn't, what kind of life could have led to his current state? She hadn't been present during the lung wash, but only reading his chart was enough to know how bad it actually was. He had to be putting up a front. Was it for the teenager's sake, for hers, or was it something he was simply used to doing? She had lost count of how many times she had seen him cough blood, but still… just by looking at the monitor stats was enough to know how ragged he should be feeling right now, and yet, he was smiling warmly at her, and after noticing how shocked she was, he had acted accordingly.

 _You're one of those people that puts everyone before yourself, aren't you, Yagi-san?_ "But it's not okay…," she muttered feeling the weight of frustration invading her again.

"Inoue-san," the emaciated man's soothing voice made her look directly into his tired eyes. Fiery and kind blue eyes, hadn't she seen them somewhere before? Of course not, she would never forget if she had met such a man. "I can see you have a very kind heart," he said putting a comforting hand on her head, which strangely enough, made her feel warm and safe, like if everything was going to be alright, but it also triggered a painful pang in her heart.

"Please, let me do this," the young nurse said with a crystal veil forming in her resolute eyes.

Her unyielding voice was enough to convince anyone, so All Might nodded with a timid smile and silently sat back for her to clean the blood from his chin.

Izuku watched the scene with a smile of his own, he was sure he knew exactly how Inoue-san felt.

* * *

 _Notes:_

 _I did more research for this chapter, but again, sorry if there's any medical inaccuracy, I'm trying to be as medically correct as possible, but I'm no expert!_

 _At this point, I don't know how many more chapters there will be because I don't really have a plot, but if you have any suggestion for another chapter, do tell me, I might include it! :)_

 _Again, thank you so much for your reviews and for following All Sick! You are awesome for sticking with me despite this huge gap of months!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Hehe... soo, chapter 5 is finally done. I hope you keep enjoying it. Thank you all so so much for all the reviews and for following my fic. It makes me so happy and encourages me to keep writing!**

 **I hope it's easy to follow, limits my chance to format things as I'd like.**

 **another anon: I'm glad you're enjoying it! I LOVE Dad Might, so I'm super happy to know you are enjoying it as well!**

 **the-physicist: Aww, thank you soo much! I really hope you caught the update on Tumblr! :3**

 **adragon: Hey, it's just great too see you in the comments section. Thank you so much for following my story! Oh, I have a dA account too! It's mostly death though :P I should revive it...**

* * *

After Izuki and Inoue had managed to help All Might clean up and get back in bed with new sheets, and the doctor had given him a complete check-up and a new set of medicines, All Might felt completely drained and ended up falling asleep again. Afterward, it had taken a good hour and a half to clean the room and to set the warming bags around the 7'2'' man, but it had been worth it, now he looked more relaxed and his body would do less effort to keep warm.

As the young nurse set a fresh bag of blood hoping that the recent commotion wouldn't be a big setback for his recovery, the high school student sat thoughtful in the chair right at his mentor's side.

"Inoue-san? I remember you asked me if Toshinori-san had looked confused before… and you looked pretty worried about that. Will he… really be okay?" asked the boy in a whisper, eyes fixed on one of the spots where All Might had gushed blood.

"Well, it _is_ easier for some patients to get delirious in unfamiliar environments…" she tried to sound reassuring – of course, she wouldn't mention that she was mostly referring to elderly people - "And he did manage to come back to reality after some time… not mentioning he seemed to be in pretty good spirits afterward," she smiled reassuringly, "so I'm sure he will be fine, he seems like a real fighter to me!" If she was honest though, she had no idea how the man had even managed to wake up and make such a ruckus. Where had all that energy come from?

"…I suppose you could say that…" chuckled the boy slightly smiling.

"Don't worry, we'll keep him in close watch. He's dealing with a lot, but he should start improving after a couple of days, look at his oxygen intake, it's already getting better!" she exclaimed happy to be able to give some good news for a change.

"Really!? That's great!" Izuku exclaimed looking at the monitor.

"Yes, that's great news for him! And now that he's all set…" she added fixing her eyes on him. "You haven't had anything for breakfast yet, have you?"

"Uh, no… but I'm not really hungry yet. I'd rather stay here a little longer to make sure Toshinori-san doesn't wake up alone in case he feels a little confused again," he said absent-mindedly, unable to hide the concern and what could only be described as devotion written all over his face.

Inoue had to look away to hide her forming smile at such a transparent show of affection, she had no idea what was the story behind this strange man that seemed to be highly esteemed by the one and only Recovery Girl, but she could tell that whatever relationship he had with the young boy, these two shared a very deep bond, and probably the tendency to put others before themselves. _That's all very sweet, but…_

"Recovery Girl told us yesterday that you are one of Yagi-san's students but… I have the impression that he's more than just a teacher to you, isn't he?" she ventured trying to catch his expression through the corner of an eye, while another part of her brain couldn't help to make a most interesting connection, _A teacher from where though? …If he knows Recovery Girl…. Could he be a teacher from UA? Could he really be a former hero?_

Izuku raised his head and looked straight up at her startled. It had taken him a moment to process what she had asked, but the answer had come to his mind so naturally and so clearly that he had been surprised himself.

"Well…" He looked back at his mentor to make sure he was sound asleep, and then, with a timid smile and eyes fixed on him, he continued, "Yes, he is… It's hard to explain but… to be honest, I kinda think of him as my own dad," he finished rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously, yet, his smile only grew wider as those words left his mouth. They felt right. He knew he had a father somewhere, but he hardly even remembered what he sounded like, even what he looked like. The person who had been there for him, the one that had advised him and looked after him, _that had believed in him_ , had been All Might.

"I see, so that explains why you're looking after him with such determination… You must really admire him to hold him in such high regard, huh?"

"Yes… he's the kindest and bravest person I've ever known, and he's done so much for me" nodded Izuku with eyes gleaming, "B-But um, don't tell him about the father part…?" He hurried to add flailing his arms, "that's just the way I feel. I've never dared to tell him…" he added hiding his reddening face.

"I kind of suspect you're not the only one that feels that way tho," she smiled at the pureness of this kid and then added making her voice deeper while giving him a significant smile, "Midoriya, _my boy._ "

"Eh? N-no, that, that's just the way Toshinori-san talks, that doesn't…" babbled Izuku even redder than he already was.

"…Yet, you need to be strong to look after him. So you better take some fresh air and get something to eat," she warned interrupting and gesturing with her index finger. "And you should also get a change of clothes," she added pointing at the stains of blood decorating Izuku's clothes.

"But-"

"Look, you want to help him as much as you can, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then, you need to watch your own health to be at your best while you take care of him!"

Izuku couldn't think of any way to counter that, after all, not taking good care of himself was the reason that had brought All Might himself to his current situation.

"Besides, now that I think about it, didn't he ask you to bring one of his regular medicines from home?"

"Oh, you are right!" Izuku exclaimed making a weird expression that combined embarrassment, worry and struggle at the same time, "And I should talk to mom too…" he added biting his lower lip.

"Go on, I'll stay with him while you are gone," she winked at him.

"Would you?"

"Sure."

Okay… I promise I'll be back as fast as I can!"

"Take your time, I'll take good care of him."

"I-I know, it's just…"

"It's okay, I understand," she said with a fond smile, "he's very important to you."

"Yes… please take good care of him," he bowed solemnly before sprinting out of the room.

* * *

The next time All Might opened his eyes, he felt the lingering grogginess the medicines were causing him, but at least the chills and the numbness in his fingers were gone and he was definitely aware of where he was. _My mouth feels like a desert though._ He tried to look around but his sight was still a little blurry, just a general sketch of white walls, the old couch, and white curtains. _So similar to back then_. _The same smell… A similar weakness…_ Dread started to clench at his heart right before he forced himself to push those thoughts away.

-Midoriya, my boy, could you pass me the glass of water, please?" he rasped taking the oxygen mask off _._

Just as his eyes were slowly adjusting to the light as he turned his head to take the water, he recognized a man's hand passing him the glass, a rush of adrenaline made his heart almost stop, he could feel the hair at the back of his neck stand up as his pupils grew wide and he tried to reach for One for All. A myriad of things cramped his fuzzy thoughts. Had All for One found him? Would he even have the strength to use his muscle form, let alone fight back? Where was Midoriya? Was he alright? And the hospital staff? Had he-

"Mr. Yagi, it's me! It's just me, Tsukauchi!" a familiar voice exclaimed as his muscles were starting to expand, face contorted almost wildly, teeth bared like a wild animal ready to use its last strength.

"…T-Tsukauchi!?" he immediately unclenched his muscles and let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"You _really_ are jumpy, huh? For a moment there I thought you'd smash me out of the hospital," joked the detective in a slightly forced way. His friend was such a gentle soul that seeing such a raw and intense expression in his eyes was pretty distressing. He had only seen that expression once before when he had told him about his faithful fight with All for One and all the pain and destruction he had caused.

 _Damn it all, he must have thought I was delirious out of my mind… Wasn't I though? What was I even thinking?_ "I'm sorry," said All Might rubbing his eyes and sitting on the bed, "I've been… a little out of sorts today… Where's young Midoriya?" Suddenly, he stopped rubbing his eyes and looking directly at the officer, he frowned in surprise, "Wait, what are you doing here? How did you know I was sick?"

Tsukauchi smiled at the sequence of questions, "Midoriya should be on his way back by now. I received a call from him around an hour ago asking me if I could come watch over you because he had been delayed by something. And I knew because Recovery Girl called me yesterday after coming with you to the hospital..."

The mood changed fast, Tsukauchi's face turned from a pleasant smile to a deep, sort of disappointed worry. All Might felt his "stomach" churn, he had brought all this on himself, making the few people close to him suffer because of his carelessness again. For years he had tried to keep everyone at bay to avoid this. It wasn't just his carelessness, he knew being the number one hero guaranteed risking his life -and anyone close to him- on a daily basis, and yet, it seemed like he had failed spectacularly at this, he had people worrying that much about him, and if he was honest, even though it made him feel guilty and undeserving to see those worried expressions directed at him, it also warmed his heart.

"Oh, please, don't make that expression…" said the pro hero forcing a smile.

Tsukauchi's lip curled up understandingly, it was clear that his friend was already feeling guilty enough as it was "…Do I need to say anything at all?"

"No. No, you don't. I know it was very foolish of me to ignore the cold coming."

"Well, I can't tell you it wasn't, you gave all of us a good scare…" he took off his hat and rubbed some hair off of his forehead, "I came yesterday to see you and found Midoriya looking worried out of his mind."

All Might's eyes were shadowed by a deep frown and his ever-present bangs, "Of course he was, I passed out right in front of him..." his voice filled with deep regret.

There was a space of time in which none of them dared to break the silence, Tsukauchi could tell something important had happened to his friend, he seemed deeply lost in thought and more transparent than he normally was. Of course, he had seen him lose his cool when somebody else had hurt innocent people or the people he personally cared about, but when it came to himself and his own health, well, he tended to be aloof at best.

"I… Tsukauchi, just a few hours ago, I thought I was a goner," suddenly murmured All Might crossing his fingers on his lap, expression still shadowed. He couldn't be more thankful to his protégée for staying with him, but he really couldn't tell these things to him, he had already burdened him with so much, and Tsukauchi had always been the friend that he could be completely honest with, _Thank God for his existence_.

Naomasa's eyes opened wide, nobody had called him to tell him his friend had had such a close call. "What!? Did you-?"

"No. I'm okay now, don't worry, it probably wasn't even that serious…" the hero hurried to calm his friend, "it's just, my arms were completely numb. It felt like I was on an abyss. As much as I wanted to open my eyes, I simply couldn't snap out of it… If it wasn't for One for All… I'm not sure I would have been able to wake up…" he said in a husk of a voice that portrayed an emotion that Naomasa had never heard before in the hero.

Before Naomasa could quite put his finger on what that new emotion was though, he just pictured his friend never waking up again and his eyes reflected an immeasurable sense of loss. "Damn it, why didn't they call me? …Why did you let it get this bad!?"

"I… I'm sorry. It was truly negligent of me. I didn't think about the people waiting for me to come back… I was just foolish," finished the hero mortified. Young Midoriya had awakened his will to live, but now he was starting to realize there was actually a lot more people that cared and worried for him, not just for the Symbol of Peace but for Yagi Toshinori.

Naomasa pressed his frown with his fingers, gave a big sigh and dropped himself on the chair near the bed. _Did I actually hear fear for his life in his voice? I shouldn't have snapped, it's clear he's got a lot in his mind._ "Just… please, be more careful next time alright? Recovery Girl sounded genuinely worried behind the annoyed façade," he tried to lighten the mood.

"I know… she probably called you to make me feel guilty," All Might smiled sheepishly right before the little color he had left his face. "Wait, d-do you think…? C-Could she have told G-Gran Torino too!?" All Might's hands felt cold as ice and his teeth began slightly chattering.

The officer hid a burst of genuine laughter. He still could not believe how afraid of his former teacher the number one hero was. Then again, since he had discovered All Might's secret form and they had become friends, he had realized that his friend was a lot more human than he portrayed. He carried a huge amount of responsibility, pain, and struggle in his heart, uncertainties that he hardly allowed himself to share with anyone; and even though he rarely talked about his past, Tsukauchi could almost swear that he had probably been forced to mature pretty early in his life leaving some areas of normal growing up neglected, thus, making him pretty hopeless in the weirdest of areas.

"You know, I heard some interesting bits of conversation from staff and civilians alike when I was walking to your room," Naomasa tried to distract All Might before he started hyperventilating.

"Oh, really?" asked the pro hero catching Naomasa's attempt and heartily wishing to clear the prospect of Gran Torino beating the hell out of him out of his mind.

"Well, when I was climbing the stairs…"

 _"_ _Did you see the group that came to visit our pneumonia patient? I could swear I recognized Midnight."_

 _"_ _Midnight!? Are you sure?"_

 _"_ _Well, now that you mention it, I heard Recovery Girl arrived with him yesterday."_

 _"_ _Do you think he's famous?"_

"And also..."

 _"_ _You know, as I was walking near the elevator in the morning I heard a pretty loud voice singing… I could swear it sounded like that radio host hero."_

 _"_ _Wha- Present Mic? You're crazy, man, why would he ever come here for? This is a very small hospital!"_

"And then at the corridor…"

 _"_ _Would you come with me to get a coffee from the vending machine? I was going to get one in the morning, but I saw this very shady-looking guy staring at it fixedly, I believe he hadn't slept in days, his eyes looked awfully dry!"_

 _"_ _So why should I go with you?"_

 _"_ _He was a little intimidating, okay?"_

"It's good to know you've been busy with visits," laughed Tsukauchi trying not to think for now about the possibility of everyone at the hospital realizing his friend's true identity.

All Might chuckled lightheartedly, Aizawa always acted annoyed at the other heroes' conspicuousness, and yet, even he was pretty conspicuous when it came down to it. _Even if it is in a disturbing sort of way._

* * *

 _-ONE HOUR AND A HALF EARLIER-_

After catching a quick bite at the hospital's cafeteria and covering the blood-stained shirt with an All Might hoodie he carried in his bag, Izuku ran to his mentor's apartment, and as he was looking for his keys to open the door, an old lady approached him.

"My, my, aren't you the boy that I've seen walking with the dandelion youngster?" she put both hands in her cane and gave him a warm smile, framed by gray bangs with remnants of her once chestnut hair.

"Dandelion…youngster?"

"Yes, my neighbor," she pointed at All Might's door, "The kind, tall lad with blond hair and bright blue eyes."

 _Oh, so she really must mean All Might… but dandelion?_ With little effort, his mind provided a perfect image of the pro hero with dandelion petals instead of hair _. Now that you mention it, he does look a little like a dandelion, doesn't he? …Although maybe a sunflower would fit him better?_ he snapped out of his reveries when the woman cleared her throat conspicuously. "O-oh, y-yes, I guess I am!"

"Good. I'm so glad I caught you, I've been worried sick about him… Do you know if he is all right? I could hear him coughing all morning yesterday… Mind you, poor dear seems to be quite the sickly lad since I met him. Some days are worse than others, but yesterday sounded more serious to me. I was actually looking for some ingredients to prepare something for him when I heard a scream and a few minutes later an ambulance coming."

"Oh! Yes… that scream must have been me," admitted the boy embarrassed, "he suddenly fainted and I freaked out."

"Oh, poor boy, that must have given you a big fright!" said the old woman patting his shoulder. "How is he doing?"

"He's got pneumonia," said Izuku looking down to hide his own worries.

"Oh by Heaven's sake, catching pneumonia in his state, is he going to be all right?"

"I hope so… he has to," he said feeling powerless.

"Yes, I hope so too, despite his frail appearance, his eyes shine bright with the determination of someone that still has so much to give," smiled back the old lady.

 _I'm glad she thinks so too!_ ThoughtIzuku grinning widely. Even though All Might tried to spare him from his problems and doubts, the teenager had started to notice that sometimes he acted and spoke like his time was coming to an end, like the less time he had left of his muscle form, the less he could do, but Izuku, better than anyone else perhaps, knew how much his mentor had to give and teach, muscle form or not. Maybe some people only saw him as the number one hero, and maybe All Might himself doubted his self-worth as an emaciated man sometimes, but Izuku knew how strong and kind his spirit was, he just had so much to give and deserved so much in return, he just had to keep living. "Thank you for saying that," he said rubbing his nose before quickly changing the subject. "I was just coming to get something for him back to the hospital."

"Oh, you are such a dear, I'm glad he has someone looking after him."

"Huh?"

"Well, he's a bit of a loner, isn't he? I rarely see anyone visiting him, and I can't really see why, given that he's such a dear to me. See that big pot in the corner?" she pointed at a human-sized plant, "he helped me transplant some flowers and move that one the other day, not mentioning that whenever he's home and he hears me coming from the store or working on something, he rushes to help me with the heavy lifting… even though he ends up out of breath from the effort!" she laughed fondly. "I just mean, he's a strange one. Even though he's so good at taking care of others, it seems like he's not that good at getting help himself, or at letting others close to him for that matter. You'd think he'd spill the beans after a while or with a cup of tea, right? Well, even though he has helped me so many times and we have even sat for tea together, he rarely ever talks about himself."

Izuku smiled knowingly, this lady was good at figuring people out.

"Wait, you have sat with All-, with him for tea!?" suddenly exclaimed the fanboy inside of him. "Can I ask you how did you meet him?"

"Sure, we met right when he was moving here. I heard a ruckus near my apartment, so I came out to find him surrounded by fallen boxes and coughing his lungs out. It was like a fountain of blood, he gave me such a scare! Who would have guessed a person can actually live coughing blood like that?"

Izuku snickered imagining the scene.

"I forced him to lay on my couch for a while and gave him a family recipe of honey and herbs we use to soothe the throat, he seemed mortified about it, but he was pretty grateful and even brought me a dandelion plant the next day."

"A dandelion? Oh, is that why you call him the dandelion… youngster?" Izuku asked a little embarrassed by his own conclusion.

The lady chuckled, "Well, dandelions are a weird choice for an ornamental plant, considering they are seen as weeds, right? But when he gave it to me, he mentioned something about how he had been thinking about them recently, how even though they were small, they thrived through any difficulty, and how they symbolized wishes being fulfilled when their seeds where blown away, so I could tell it was a very significant gift from him."

 _That must have been around the time where we met, right?_ Thought the boy moved by All Might's gift to the old lady, somehow, he had the feeling he understood what he had been thinking about.

"…But the name… don't you think that his hair looks a little like a dandelion flower?" the lady stated suddenly.

The teenager couldn't help to laugh. _So I was right!_ "Yeah, I guess it kinda does," he giggled covering his mouth.

Izuku could stay the whole day talking to this old lady, just to think about all the things she could tell him about his idol, but duty was first and he really wanted to hurry up and go back to the hospital.

Well, um…"

"Potts."

"Potts-san, I better hurry up and go back to the hospital, would you like me to tell him something in your name?" he offered.

"Yes, actually, would you give him something from me?" her small eyes shone and opened a little wider revealing a clear emerald green.

"Sure."

She went back to her apartment and returned a couple of minutes later, "Oh, my my, I completely forgot that I couldn't finish the mixture because I was missing some ingredients…" she looked genuinely heartbroken.

"Potts-san?" the boy walked close to her house feeling the hero inside him pushing him to act.

"You see, I try to give him a small preparation of that honey and herbs mixture when his coughs get worse. He always seems a little embarrassed to accept it, but I think it does help him a little," she explained.

"That's so thoughtful of you, Potts-san! I'm sure it helps!" exclaimed Izuku feeling really happy to know All Might had such a caring and sweet lady as a neighbor. He checked the time on his phone and considered his options for a second. "Is there a market nearby where I could get the missing ingredients?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that for me, child. I'm sure he's got better medicines there… and you just told me you were in a hurry."

"If the preparation won't take much time, I could get the ingredients and get Toshinori-san's things while you prepare the rest of the mixture," Izuku hadn't even finished talking when he noticed his horrible slip. Did Potts-san know All Might's name? Had he given her a different cover name? Would this be okay? His brain filled with different scenarios, each one worse than the former. _Did he even gave her a name or does she simply call him The Dandelion Youngster because she doesn't know his name?_

"Oh, so _that's_ his name!" uttered the lady.

 _So all this time he actually managed to avoid telling her a name and in five minutes I just ruined it all…_

"It's been quite a long time since I had heard that one… and what a lovely fit…" she giggled, "a great person… and… 'nori'…" she rubbed her chin remembering "a model, …a good role model. Yes, that's a good fit indeed," she said smiling warmly until she noticed Izuku's conflicted expression.

To say conflicted was an understatement though, part of him was freaking out because he knew how intense All Might was about revealing delicate information, and the other side of him, the fanboy to be precise, was so delighted by the perfect fit of the name that he wanted it to be All Might's real name and to run back and tell him if he knew what it meant, so the result of that was an arching of his eyebrows in worry with a contrasting huge smile.

"…So, are you sure it's okay if you take longer to go back to the dandelion youngster?" she tried to change the subject noticing Izuku's odd reaction. She wasn't a fool, it wasn't normal for a neighbor to go through such high extends to hide their name, but she trusted the man she knew, she simply could not imagine such a warm fellow doing anything to harm other people, so she'd respect his privacy if he needed it –even if she thought it would be good for him to have a neighbor to trust.

"Oh, y-yes!" answered back the budding hero. He had always been good at reading atmospheres, and right now he could not sense any bad will coming from the old lady, quite the contrary, she felt genuinely worried for his mentor, and she even seemed to understand there had to be an important reason for her neighbor to avoid telling her his name, so he'd just have to go with his gut and trust nothing bad would come from this slip. "I'll just make a quick call to make sure it's okay and then I can go to the market! I'm sure it will make him really happy to get your remedy and to know you were worried about him!" smiled the boy sincerely believing his words.

"I hope so, young one. I don't know what his burdens are, but I have caught him sometimes at dawn looking through the window in the corridor," she pointed at the small window near the human-sized plant, "during those times, his eyes, they always have such a haunted look in them, like he's somewhere very far away…" she looked down shaking her head, "I don't like it. Such a kind, cheerful man shouldn't look like that at the end of the day…"

The budding hero sulked, he had actually caught that look as well a couple of times. At first, he hadn't realized, because All Might did his best to keep positive most of the time, but after the attack to the school by the League of Villains, there had been two times where while he was training, the Symbol of Peace had lost himself in his thoughts for a moment and Izuku had caught a glimpse of the burden he carried before he could return to the present. Was his smile always the smile that cheated the fear he felt inside?

"But you know?" started Potts, "From the little he's told me, I can gather he recently became a teacher, and he always seems genuinely happy when he talks about his students, and especially when I see you walking with him. He smiles just as fondly as he smiles when he's feeding the stray cats. But it's only natural, young people always bring hope to older folk. Not that he's old like me…" she chuckled lightly, "I mean, just as he brings hope to me, I'm sure you bring hope to him."

The teenager wished for that to be true with all his heart, he bowed to All Might's neighbor gratefully and took out his phone to call detective Tsukauchi.

 _Did she said he fed stray cats… and did she compare me to them?_ he suddenly caught up as he noticed a bunch of Tupperware piled up around All Might's apartment.


End file.
